There are several manmade canals on the lake and, like canals anywhere, these will draw fish. One lies midway down the eastern shoreline and another on the south end just west of the public ramp canal, with two more in the northwest corner of Little Santa Fe Lake. If water levels are sufficient, largemouths will be using them.

Water clarity in these canals is not normally good enough to actually spot fish on their beds, so savvy anglers cast to any bright-colored spots they see on the bottom. Compact soft-plastic craws, tube lures, and finesse worms are excellent choices, with June-bug, red shad or a black-and-blue combo being local color favorites. If the bright spots are there but the bass don't bite, veteran anglers then flip the heavier surface-matted, cover in the vicinity.

The area around Melrose Bay at the southeast corner of the lake is another traditional spawning site. The bay itself has fish bedding right on the shoreline or around docks. The smaller bay at its entrance is another potentially productive area.

Just to the north of the entrance, the large maidencane beds are more key areas, although it's seldom possible to spot beds until you are right on top of them. Local experts normally fish this region with Texas-rigged plastic worms, or soft-plastic jerkbaits rigged with just enough weight to get them down a couple of feet. For those jerkbaits the preferred colors are gold flake, firetiger, or natural shad.

The same tactic works anywhere else you find substantial maidencane beds connecting deeper water with the shoreline. There are a number of these along the west bank, and some on the lower eastern shoreline.

Bass bed in maidencane pockets or on the inside edge of the stand. That's especially true if there are dock pilings in the vicinity.

One last major spawning area is worth noting. In fact, it's often where lake experts start their day.

Commonly called the "Trees," this is a two-mile stretch of shoreline at the southern end of the main lake that's loaded with mature cypress trees extending out into seven feet of water. Around them is a wealth of fallen timber, right up to the shoreline, where scattered maidencane offers prime spawning sites.

This is one of the most picturesque spots in Florida -- and one of the most productive places on this lake for anglers.

Soft-plastics are an excellent choice in this area, but don't overlook crankbaits. Shallow-running, square-billed crankbaits can be deadly when banged through and off wood structure in this region. That applies to high-speed countdown crankbaits as well. One of my favorite and most productive lures is a 3/4-ounce Rat-L-Trap in bleeding shiner or Tennessee shad color patterns. Retrieved as fast as possible without broaching the lure is the way to fish it.